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Production-ready through-silicon-via technology is now available from austriamicrosystems' full-service foundry unit. With typical TSV depths of 200-300 μm, the offering is targeting 3D integration of CMOS ICs and sensor components. AMS says that customer-specific modifications as well as varying wafer thicknesses can be supported by the company's flexible manufacturing concept.

Foundry customers using the TSV concept immediately benefit from a significantly reduced form factor and systems cost reduction as well as performance improvements due to shortened interconnect lengths, according to AMS. A proprietary backside redistribution layer concept enables various front- and backside IO pad connections and provides customers with flexibility in IC and sensor arrangements.

"This new 3D integration technology further extends our portfolio of industry-leading mixed signal analog and high-voltage technologies and provides customer-specific solutions for sensor integration," states Thomas Riener, GM of AMS's full service foundry unit. "The innovative TSV technology can be combined in a fully flexible manner with any of our 0.35-μm analog specialty technologies, such as CMOS, HV-CMOS, SiGe BiCMOS, or embedded nonvolatile memory. By providing our customers with early manufacturing access to this new technology we can support them in realizing differentiated systems solutions."

"We see our role in providing designers with competitive advantages from technology which further enhances the competitiveness of their products," comments Martin Schrems, AMS's director of process development and implementation. "In analogy to our leading high-voltage CMOS technology, we have focused our TSV developments on creating a highly scalable, very low complexity, and cost-effective technology platform. Beyond that TSV is a synergetic extension to our high-voltage CMOS technology portfolio."